Kabul. A powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan has destroyed many villages and caused extensive damage. At least 250 people were killed and 500 injured in the disaster, officials said. The number of dead and injured is expected to rise further as search and rescue teams reach the affected areas.

Sunday night’s quake struck towns and villages in Kunar province near Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the 6.0-magnitude quake was centered about 27 kilometres (17 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province at 11.47 p.m. Its depth is only 8 kilometers (5 miles), so the damage is more.

At least 250 people were killed and more than 500 injured in Nur Gul, Soki, Vatpur, Manogi and Chapdare districts alone, according to the Kunar Disaster Management Authority. Public Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said, “Rescue operations are still going on, many villages have been completely destroyed.” Medical teams have been dispatched from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul as the number of martyrs and wounded continues to change. ’

Details of casualties have not yet been reported from many places and the number is expected to rise further, he said. Jalalabad is considered a bustling trading city due to its proximity to neighbouring Pakistan and the main border crossing between the two countries.

According to the municipality, although its population is about 300,000, the metropolitan area is still large. Most of the buildings here are weak structures, concrete and brick houses are abundant, while on the outskirts there are mud brick and wood houses. Many of them are said to be weak structures and the damage is said to be serious. The Kabul River flows in Jalalabad and there is plenty of agricultural production, including citrus fruits and rice.

On October 7, 2023, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit Afghanistan. At the time, the Taliban government said at least 4,000 people had been killed, while the United Nations estimated that around 1,500 had died. It is considered to be the deadliest natural disaster in Afghanistan in recent history.